When painting your home, it's more than just your walls that need to be painted. Your trim and baseboards also need to be painted. You can paint your baseboards any color you prefer, or you can stain them as well, but white baseboards make your walls pop. There are things you can do to make painting these areas a little easier. Read on for a few helpful tips.

Clean Your Trim And Baseboards

Clean the trim and baseboards around your home before you even begin painting them. These areas can build up with all types of dirt and debris over time, and unless you're someone that cleans them often, they most likely have months (maybe even years) of built up dirt on them. Don't paint your trim or baseboards until you have cleaned them. This helps ensure the paint adheres to the wood properly and that grease and oils or stains do not seep through your paint. Clean your trim work and baseboards with a degreasing cleaner or you can use gentle dish soap and water. Rinse the cleaner off of your baseboards with a clean wet rag.

Fill In Nail Holes

Fill in any holes in your trim work and make any necessary repairs using wood filler. Allow the wood filler to dry completely and then use a sanding block to sand the trim/baseboards smooth. Paint can sometimes fill in the holes as well, but for deeper holes or damaged areas, use the wood filler.

Caulk All Seams

Use caulk along the top of your baseboards and along trim where it meets the wall. This gives a smooth, seamless look to your trim/baseboards. You can also caulk corners where one piece of trim/baseboards meets another. Be sure to use paintable caulk and use the same color you are painting your trim.

Painting Your Trim/Baseboards

When painting your trim/baseboards, prevent the paint from getting onto your walls by using painter's tape. Using other types of tape may cause the paint to bleed through. Use the painter's tape if you don't have a steady hand and cannot paint a straight line. The time it takes to apply the painter's tape is worth it, as you'll have beautiful straight lines. Paint using semi-gloss or high-gloss paint, as these types of paint are the easiest to keep clean. Use a 2 1/2 inch angled paintbrush and add your paint to the brush. Paint it along your baseboards/trim, making sure to catch any drip marks. Allow the first coat to dry and then add a second coat if necessary.

Your walls are not the only thing in a room that needs to be painted. The trim and baseboards should also be painted to give your home a fresh and clean look. Hire a professional residential painting service to paint your home if painting is not something you enjoy.

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